NFL Week 7 Picks: Predicting Results for Every Game on the Schedule

Week 7 of the NFL season is upon us, and while this week features some of the most tepid-looking matchups we've seen so far this year, that doesn't mean any of the games will lack excitement. Close contests and hard-fought wins will be the hallmark of this week.

Here are my picks in all upper case for each of the 13 games scheduled for Week 7.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS at New York Jets

The Chargers are coming off of their bye week with one of their biggest weapons—tight end Antonio Gates—ready to return to the field. Taking on the Jets on their home field won't be an easy challenge for San Diego, but New York hasn't yet proven they've fixed what ails it.

Should the Chargers get ahead early, the Jets will abandon the run yet again and turn to quarterback Mark Sanchez to keep them in the game—not an advisable course of action for the team. Regardless of what the Jets do, I don't see them being strong enough through four quarters to best San Diego on Sunday.

Chicago Bears at TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

This game is taking place in London, and if history is any indicator, it doesn't matter what one knows about the two teams in this game. The trip affects both teams in strange ways, so picking a winner is mightily difficult. I think the Bears would win this game if it were played in Tampa or Chicago, but since it's taking place in England, I'm going with the Buccaneers.

Washington Redskins at CAROLINA PANTHERS

The inevitable Redskins collapse happened all at once in their Week 6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. They rushed for just 42 yards, and quarterback Rex Grossman has lost his starting job after throwing four interceptions. Now John Beck leads the team into Carolina to take on Cam Newton's Panthers, a 1-5 team that is better than its record.

I keep picking the Panthers to win, and that's because they surely will. I see the Panthers taking advantage of the weakened Redskins this Sunday and coming up with their second win of the season.

Atlanta Falcons at DETROIT LIONS

The Lions' new-found home field advantage reared its head again last week, with the crowd noise forcing the San Francisco 49ers into three false starts. Though Detroit fell for the first time this season, it was a close, winnable contest for the team and in no way indicates that the team is in any sort of slump.

This will be more than evident this Sunday when the team hosts the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, the Falcons are a good team, but they aren't better than Detroit, and certainly not at Ford Field. This might be a close contest, but Detroit will end up with the win.

Seattle Seahawks at CLEVELAND BROWNS

There are certainly a number of reasons why the Seahawks could emerge victorious, with the biggest case in their favor being their Week 5 win over the New York Giants. But taking a trip out east to face the Browns won't be as successful as the one they took to battle the Giants.

Neither team is especially inspiring right now, meaning that this game will either be a defense-free shootout or a low-scoring, error-prone affair. It might be an ugly win for the Browns, but it will be a win nonetheless.

DENVER BRONCOS at Miami Dolphins

With the Broncos starting quarterback Tim Tebow and having traded away wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, it's clear that running the ball is the focus of Denver's offense going forward. While they should have a modicum of success with their new offensive philosophy, the Dolphins aren't going to prove much of a test this week anyway.

That's great news for the Broncos, but terrible news for the winless Dolphins. Miami head coach Tony Sparano is on the hottest of hot seats right now and there's some talk that a loss to the Broncos this week would end his time with the team.

Considering how uninspired the Dolphins have been playing thus far, it's hard to assume that they'd want to win this game for a coach no one in the organization had much faith in to begin with. The Broncos won't struggle much on Sunday.

Houston Texans at TENNESSEE TITANS

This game is extremely important to both teams, as they are the clear front-runners to win the AFC South now that the Colts and Jaguars are non-factors. The Titans and the Texans will be playing aggressively, looking to wrest away early control of the division.

But I see the home team winning this contest. The Texans have a lot of talent but little mistakes continue to plague them, while the Titans have one of the more complete squads in the league despite being without their top receiver, Kenny Britt. It will be close and it will be brutal, but the Titans will end up with the win.

Kansas City Chiefs at OAKLAND RAIDERS

New Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer gets a relatively easy first outing with his team, hosting the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the league's worst teams, this Sunday. It's not likely that Palmer will be required to do much beyond hand the ball off to Darren McFadden and let the stellar running back do all the work.

There's little on either offense or defense that says the Chiefs can exit Oakland with a win this week, while the Raiders remain a serious contender even with the change at quarterback.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS at Arizona Cardinals

The Steelers get the benefit of facing yet another poor team, traveling to Arizona this week to take on the Cardinals. Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb and his receivers will be on the business end of the Steelers' league-leading pass defense, and running back Beanie Wells may have a lot of trouble on his hands as Pittsburgh's run defense showing clear improvement.

The fact that the Cardinals are so weak against the run themselves means that Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall will get a second chance in as many weeks to prove that he's still capable of breaking off big runs. And while top receiver Mike Wallace has been limited in practice this week with a hamstring issue, Ben Roethlisberger's other receivers are dangerous targets in their own right.

With the Ravens playing well and the Bengals neck-and-neck with the Steelers in the divisional race, the Steelers need every win they can get. And they're certain to get one this Sunday.

GREEN BAY PACKERS at Minnesota Vikings

The one-win Vikings have benched starting quarterback Donovan McNabb in favor of rookie Christian Ponder, who gets his first major test against the undefeated Green Bay Packers this Sunday.

While he'll certainly survive the contest, he's not passing that test. All of the odds are against the Vikings to pull out a win against the Packers this week, and for good reason. Beyond running back Adrian Peterson, they've no offense to speak of, and their defense couldn't manage to stymie even sitting-duck Bears quarterback Jay Cutler in Week 6.

The Packers will win this contest, and it won't even be close.

St. Louis Rams at DALLAS COWBOYS

While the Cowboys certainly aren't the Packers, the Rams are one team actually worse than the Vikings at the moment, which means that Dallas is set up for an easy win in Week 7.

Though St. Louis added wide receiver Brandon Lloyd early this week to assist struggling quarterback Sam Bradford, that might be for naught this week as Bradford may be held out with an ankle injury.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo is no Aaron Rodgers, but the Rams defense will surely help him look like the league's leading passer on Sunday. There's little chance for St. Louis to pull out a win.

Indianapolis Colts at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Another winless team gets thrown to the wolves this week, as the New Orleans Saints host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. Colts quarterback Curtis Painter has held his own this season, looking better than the veteran Kerry Collins, whom he replaced after Collins suffered a concussion earlier in the season.

But Painter doesn't have all of the benefits that Saints quarterback Drew Brees has—namely a coterie of excellent receivers, nor do the Colts boast a three-headed running attack that the Saints have employed throughout the season.

You guessed it: The Colts are yet another team with no chance to win this week.

BALTIMORE RAVENS at Jacksonville Jaguars

Yet another lopsided Week 7 contest sees the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. The Jaguars do have the capability of scoring points, but you won't likely know that after their offense, led by rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, is battered by the Ravens' vaunted defense.

The Ravens' only Achilles heel is quarterback Joe Flacco—namely, relying on him. Considering the ease with which the Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall ran on the Jaguars' defense last week, Flacco won't have a lot of work to do with running back Ray Rice carving up Jacksonville at will.

Yes, the Ravens will win, and no (say it with me), it won't be a close game.